Carl Palmer's ELP Legacy

18th April 2022

The Green Hotel, Kinross

Whilst I feel I have over the last few years succeeded in seeing a number of bands I loved in my youth, as I was driving to this gig, I pondered the number of final opportunities I have missed - often due to sheer laziness on my part

Quite why I let the (nearly) classic line-ups of Black Sabbath and Status Quo slip through my fingers, I have no idea. Both played Glasgow in recent years, and I just sat on my arse in my hoose.

I had the opportunity to see Greenslade in Rotherham twenty years ago.  Even corresponding by email with bassist Tony Reeves beforehand but, for reasons which escape me now, didn't bother going.

And then, of course, there was Emerson, Lake and Palmer.  Me deciding not to travel to London to attend the inaugural edition of the ill-fated High Voltage Festival.  I sorta thought ELP getting together again may have heralded a UK tour.  Of course, that would wind up not being the case, with the band's headlining spot on the Sunday being the last time the trio would take to the stage together.

Keith Emerson died in March 2016, with Greg Lake passing away a few short months later.

For the last few years Palmer has been out and about with Carl Palmer's ELP Legacy, a three piece outfit guitarist/vocalist Paul Bielatowicz and bassist/stick player Simon Fitzpatrick.

The obviously odd thing about this line-up is the lack of a keyboard player, for if there is anything which defines ELP's music it is a lot of keyboard parts.  But between them Bielatowicz and Fitzpatrick made reasonable fist of recreating Emerson's parts, 

And I suppose the band (Palmer's decision, I suppose) deserve some credit for deciding not to take to the road with a note-for-note tribute act.  But rather, instead, deciding to bring something of their own to the business.  And for the mast part, I felt things went well enough.  With only Bielatowicz's rather weak vocals the only fly in an otherwise musically impressive ointment.

There were a few surprises in the set - I do not recall ELP ever performing either Bach's (not Ginastera's) Toccata nor Debussey's Claire de Lune.  And the decision to include 21st Century Schizoid Man in the set simply because it was the first song the nascent ELP rehearsed back in 1970 did seem a touch contrived.  It was no less fun for all that though.

I did love Carl taking the vocal duties on Benny the Bouncer though.

Set list

Karn Evil 9 First Impression Part 2

Toccata and Fugue in D Minor

Knife Edge

Trilogy

C'est la Vie

Benny The Bouncer

Clair de Lune

21st Century Schizoid Man

Lucky Man

Tarkus

Hoedown

Fanfare for the Common Man